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Uruguay's Nacional fined after fans mock Chapecoense crash

The Associated Press

Posted: Feb. 13, 2018 8:00 am Updated: Feb. 13, 2018 11:46 am

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — South America's soccer governing body has fined Uruguay's Nacional and ordered the club to play its next three international games without its fans after some of its supporters mocked the plane crash that killed most of Brazilian squad Chapecoense two years ago.

Conmebol's disciplinary court announced the sanction and the $80,000 fine late Monday, and said that if a similar "infraction to the sporting discipline is reiterated, it will be considered an aggravating situation."

At least two Nacional fans made gestures with their arms imitating a plane crash during Nacional's 1-0 victory at Chapecoense on Jan. 31 in the first leg of a Copa Libertadores meeting.

The Brazilians lost the second leg in Montevideo by the same score and were knocked out of South America's top club competition.

Chapecoense asked Conmebol to expel Nacional from the cup, but the request was not granted by the governing body.

Nacional had identified and banned the two fans who made the offensive gestures. Nacional also apologized to the Brazilian club for the actions of the fans mocking the Chapecoense flight that crashed in November 2016 in Colombia, killing 71 people.

Nacional will face Argentina's Banfield in the third and final preliminary stage of the Libertadores before the group stage begins in late February.